Released in France in January 2006, Ang Lee’s film is already turning twenty! A look back at the troubled story of Brokeback Mountain, a gay cowboy romance that quickly became a cult classic.
Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joaquin Phoenix, Matt Damon. These four Hollywood star actors have in common that they said no to Brokeback Mountain. It was the late 1990s, and among the rising stars, no one wanted to hear about this gay love story between two cowboys. While the era is no longer so focused on John Wayne-like masculinity caricatures, homophobic prejudices still weighed heavily in the film industry.
Today, Ang Lee’s masterpiece, which is already celebrating its 20th anniversary, remains one of the greatest gay romances ever told on screen. A major turning point in the representation of homosexuality in mainstream cinema. More than a passion in the heights of Wyoming, The Secret of Brokeback Mountain is above all the story of an anomaly in the Hollywood system. A miracle that could have never happened…
A Hard Struggle
At the origin of the film is a novella written by Annie Proulx, published in 1997 in the pages of the New Yorker. It recounts, over two decades, the secret and forbidden affair between two men, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, tasked with supervising a flock of sheep in the Rockies. When screenwriters Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry buy the rights to adapt it for cinema, they do not realize that a long journey of obstacles awaits them. For several years, the duo knocks on every door, in vain. The HBO network even orders them to modify the story to transform it into a heterosexual relationship. The director Gus Van Sant, author of My Own Private Idaho, is initially interested in the project but ends up bowing out, faced with refusals from all the stars of the moment. “I should have cast unknown actors, but I wasn’t ready,” he would admit years later.
“I think The Secret of Brokeback Mountain brought me back to life and rekindled my love for cinema.”
Other gay filmmakers expressed interest, such as Joel Schumacher and Pedro Almodóvar. The Spaniard wanted to make his first English-language feature, then abandoned it (which would ultimately become The Next Room, twenty years later), daunted by the language barrier and the lack of sex. Then the screenplay fell into the hands of the Taiwanese Ang Lee. The director, who was considering quitting his career at the time, finally agreed to direct the film. “I think The Secret of Brokeback Mountain brought me back to life and rekindled my love for cinema, he reveals today to Deadline. If I still make films today, it’s thanks to this one.”
In turn, Ang Lee faced numerous refusals before meeting Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, two young actors already established. The actors would prove to be very protective of the story, notably Heath Ledger. At a Berlinale press conference in 2006, the actor—who died in 2008—replied to those who judged the film “disgusting”: “We are not talking about an epidemic, a virus or something that can be treated in a hospital. We show that love between two men is just as contagious, intense and pure as heterosexual love.”
A Revolution in Hollywood
From its presentation at the Venice Film Festival’s Mostra, where it took home the Golden Lion, The Secret of Brokeback Mountain sent a wave of momentum. The passion between Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist captivated critics as well as the public, transcending the subject of sexual orientation. “The theaters were full because everyone was curious,” recalls screenwriter Diana Ossana to the New York Times. “When the sex scene arrived, you could see a few people stand up and walk out. At the end of the film, no one moved. They remained glued to their seats until the lights came back on.”
Months after its release, the film earned the equivalent of thirteen times its budget, establishing itself as one of the greatest successes in queer cinema history. In Hollywood, surprisingly, homosexuality proved to be a profitable subject. What had been taboo became a boon for actors, and straight stars increasingly seized gay characters turned into “award-winning roles,” such as Sean Penn in the Harvey Milk biopic (2008), Colin Firth in A Single Man (2009), or Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club (2013).
Nominated eight times and awarded three Oscars, The Secret of Brokeback Mountain nevertheless lost the Best Picture statuette to Crash, by Paul Haggis. This defeat sparked a minor scandal. “I suppose tolerance had reached its limit,” said Ang Lee. Several members of the Academy publicly opposed his victory, and some refused to even watch the film. This was the case with Tony Curtis—father of actress Jamie Lee Curtis, known for his role in Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe. On the reactionary Fox News channel, he stated that his colleagues of the time, such as John Wayne, “would not have liked this,” before adding: “This film isn’t as important as people think.” It would take another good decade to see, in 2017, a gay narrative crowned Best Picture with Moonlight, by Barry Jenkins.
The Price of Fame
After success comes the downside. By weakening the cowboy archetype, a prominent symbol of American masculinity, The Secret of Brokeback Mountain becomes the target of mockery in all sorts of media. Talk-show hosts, on-stage comedians, online parodies and in cinema… Everyone has their little joke about the film, reducing it to the worst clichés. Fortunately, time proved them wrong, and the story of Ennis and Jack now has more fans than detractors. Among its great admirers is the gay actor Jonathan Bailey, who recently once again declared his love for Ang Lee’s work.
Still censored in some countries—Russia banned it in 2024 from streaming platforms—the Secret of Brokeback Mountain continues to inspire. A play adapted from the novella appeared in 2023, with Lucas Hedges (Boy Erased) and Mike Faist (Challengers). As for Pedro Almodóvar, he eventually managed to realize his gay Western the same year with Strange Way Of Life, a burning short film that reunites Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke. A gesture the filmmaker openly describes as “a response to Brokeback Mountain.” A regret?
